Bye Bye Hatch :( equal new project :)

[Loserkidwac]

Lots of progress made!!!!

Worked late into the night Fri and the got the motor wired up, the shift linkage in, the exhaust manifold bolted on, etc, everything connected so I could start the beast up! Today i went to the junkyard got the one line I needed for the clutch and a stock air box and a slave cylinder...

Lookie a shifter!


Suspension is all together!






You can't really tell, but he she is running, started up without any really problems...I forgot to put the PCV in so it idled crazy, once i figured that out it purrrred...and no CELs

[Loserkidwac]

Well I finished up most of the wiring, bleed the brakes, topped off the trans and other fluids and took her for a test drive

Cruised around the neighbor hood with the top off, interior stripp including the rear window still out, a nice rack since I didn't change out the rear suspension yea and without the hood on or the exhaust hooked up :-P and I am impressed, she runs strong moves the heavier Del Sol chassis around pretty well I didn't notice any real difference from the VX...Hoping to finish up and install the rest of the parts this week or weekend! I have some pictures I'll post up later!

[tucsonron]

Your direct approach is admirable. In terms of emotional satisfaction, it is certainly superior to my approach:

1. Get really enthusiastic. Pull everything apart. Label everything. Clean everything. Get confused. Say, "I'll take a look at it tomorrow."
2. Wait six months. Become convinced that I am a total idiot and I've screwed everything up beyond repair.
3. Be in a good mood one morning for no explicable reason. Put everything back together in 15 minutes. Say, "What was I thinking?"
4. Enjoy.

I wonder if you could build some sort of Perspex dome (or Lexan, or something similar) to smooth out that notchback? Or perhaps some kind of top side diffuser.

[Loserkidwac]

Originally Posted by tucsonron

Your direct approach is admirable. In terms of emotional satisfaction, it is certainly superior to my approach:

1. Get really enthusiastic. Pull everything apart. Label everything. Clean everything. Get confused. Say, "I'll take a look at it tomorrow."
2. Wait six months. Become convinced that I am a total idiot and I've screwed everything up beyond repair.
3. Be in a good mood one morning for no explicable reason. Put everything back together in 15 minutes. Say, "What was I thinking?"
4. Enjoy.

I wonder if you could build some sort of Perspex dome (or Lexan, or something similar) to smooth out that notchback? Or perhaps some kind of top side diffuser.

LOL I really don't know how I've kept motivated for this long on this project!! ha ha...I had a slight slump in the midst of it once you'd spent all the time for tear down and look at how much is left to go...and really all you've accomplished it...well not very rewarding looking...you start to wander away...but once you start "rebuilding" the fruits of your labor, time emotionally, financially start to become apparent and well worth it!! The first test drive was amazing!

I was considering the idea of some sort of rear "hatch" to help with the aero dynamics but I don't think I could create something ascetically pleasing...if you look up at some of the pictures I have decided I am going to mount some VGs on the roll bar and and then retrofit the rear hatch spoiler from my totaled VX off the back of the roll bar to hopefully help create a "wale tail" ...I believe it will look very stock and clean...I love getting awesome MPG but to the point where I don't want to make the car look rigged together, if I were better with fiberglass and body work I'm sure i could make something that looked great but thats beyond my skill level...I once photoshoped the civic hatch back end onto a Del Sol and damn do I wish Honda had done taht from the factory!...Hmm I do have a good hatch back end...::ondering:: lol


Thanks for the comments!! Its been very motivational!!

[tucsonron]

The Del Sol always looked like a mid engine Italian car with the world's smallest engine tucked in there. And then on the other hand, if it had a "bubble" of sorts where the notchback is, it would look for all the world like a mini Porsche 928. The shape of the B-pillars is great. Are you trying to sort of force the rear winglet of your wrecked VX into the topline of the notch? That's what it looks like you're trying to do in this pic:

<img src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c208/dxlboss/IMG_1928.jpg" width=300>

[Loserkidwac]

Since the rear of the hatch is shaped differently the center of the spoiler contours away from the Del Sol which is straight...the side slope down and and curved which fits long the back of the B pillar on the sol fairly well which I was hoping to accomplishes a slight downward angle off the back of the roof simialr to how it was on the VX...Once I get a decent placement I am going o fil in the gap in the center, I think at most it was a 1/2inch, with either a peice of plastic cut to fith the gap and seal the seam to the spoiler and use some rubber weatehr stripping on the side towards the roof...just so it is removable, or I might try my skill at fiber glass and fill it in with that...

When you say force do you just mean to make it follow the body lines? Yes I am trying to get it close to as possible, it fit decently just mocking it up...once I get a mount made I may try using a head gun to mold it a tad bit better since it is just plastic...I'm not very knowledgeable on aerodynamics so I am welcome any or all information or discussion on the topic! From what I had been reading I think the spoiler and VGs might help me a lot and for what its going to cost me its at least worth some trial and error

[tucsonron]

One thing I really admire about your project... or more particularly, one thing that your project really demonstrates is the importance of doing repairs yourself. I know there are dedicated mechanics out there, and there are dedicated installers who do excellent diagnostics and excellent precise work. But as a rule, those shops are expensive. When I am working on a car and swearing and strutting around exclaiming, "What were they thinking? Why on Earth did they make it this way?" My girlfriend will say, "We should just take it to a mechanic." I always stick it out, because the more you work on any individual car, the easier it gets to work on. And I will point to some bolt way up underneath the dash that is near impossible to get to, and it doesn't really do all that much, just keeps things from shaking, and say, "You think there's a nineteen year old stoner getting paid $8.50 and hour in all of Tucson who's gonna lie upside down with a flashlight in his mouth for the ten minutes it takes to cinch that bolt back on 1/12 of ratchet turn at a time?"

And even the pros, being pros, avoid unnecessary tasks whenever possible. This, in general, means cleaning. They'll do your brakes; they'll do them perfect; they'll get it done in 20 minutes... But it won't be clean. And even the best have off days. I can't tell you how many times I've pulled drums off only to find about half the springs and other gadgets missing. But even assuming they do a perfect job, if you don't wirebrush and clean, when you look under the hood, there are oils spots and drips everywhere. If it's dirty there is no way to tell what's leaking and what is just general road grime. Everything is sort of camouflaged in a brown/black/grey category of "engine stuff". There's no distinction.

I am getting a lot of this sort of thing on the car I just bought. It has good repair records, so when I follow the repairs with a flashlight I am seeing tons... tons of little half-done repairs. There was AC work, and they put everything back together, but there are a few bolts and screws missing. I am at a loss what to do, because I have no idea where to get the little bolts and clips that get tossed aside and forgotten by mechanics who aren't working on their own cars.

[Loserkidwac]

Oh I love finding things like you describe on cars I've purchased...with this project I decided I wasn't going to chance it, I had the insurance check and figured it was a worth while investment to use it all towards this car and even at this point I am certain it was the best idea! I will say I was very lucky with this car...the only weird things were a alarm system under the dash...which I removed and cleaned up all the wires that were spliced into, there was a mystery swith on the steering column which had 2 speaker wires attached to it running threw the fire wall and just dangling in the engine bay??? and then the previous owner ran speaker wires to the rear speakers but didn't connect them at the head unit...I assume the "S" model didn't come with the rear speakers stock but with a little investigation Honda has the wires for them already there...so alll he had to was look a little closer :-P mechanically the car is in great shape I replace a lot of things that were fine but with 250K on the chassis I didn't want to even both with worn bushings and stuff...I mean the new suspension components should be goot for 100K I'd imagine actually I can't see why this car couldn't run another 100-200K miles without any serious work needed


Personally for me I've done the new car and payments and its just not for me I'd rather do this kind of project, cheap car, fairly cheap parts and repairs, drive it daily and enjoy it...I put a decent amount of money into this car but I still think its less then I make in car payments a year...Its nice being handy...but I have def had those times where I've been frustrated with a car and couldn't figure out why something wouldn't work right...ugh my VX had a parking brake issues...I replace pretty much everything for it yet it still wouldn't hold..once the pads wore a little it wouldn't hold at all, you had to go in and move the adjusters by hand they would never work with the back up and tap the brake method...


Oh and I hope my project inspires some people out there... a lot of things I did for the first time, I never did an auto to manual conversion, never did a VX swap (wiring is a little more complicated then a normal swap), never did the steering rack swap or replaced inner and out end links, I'm gonna be doing the rear trailing arm bushings myself thats new for me...I'm hands on I learn by doing, the Honda service manual is great and I believe anyone with the motivation to learn this stuff can do it!! Thanks for the comments! Matt

[suspendedhatch]

Use the VTEC-E valve cover!

Nice work!

[Loserkidwac]

Originally Posted by suspendedhatch

Use the VTEC-E valve cover!

Nice work!

Oh I am, just had the crappy one on for till Im done tinkering...I'm gonna clean it up and put a fresh coat of paint on the Vtec-e cover